Northwest History. China 1. Aviation.

China's Air Link With France Adds to Concern of Japanese.
By a Staff Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor.
SHANGHAI—Much to the annoyance of Japanese authorities who had expected priority treatment with reference to Japan-China aerial communication, the National Government's Ministry of Communications has signed an agreement with the French Air Ministry which is to extend the present China National Aviation Corporation's Shanghai-Canton line from Canton to the French Indo-China border where it will link up with French airplanes for Hanoi and Europe. The question, of air communication between China and France is known to have been under discussion for six or seven years, with no results. Suddenly this agreement, involving collaboration with Air France, burst with the suddenness of the recent Chinese nationalization of silver—to be received in Tokyo with an equal lack of cordiality.
Air Policy Maintained.
It is to be noted that the agreement does not break the Chinese rule of refusing to allow airplanes of any foreign nation to fly into Chinese territory. In the present instance, Chinese planes (American made) will fly to the border and there transfer passengers and mail to French planes. Test flights from Canton southward are being started, and it is expected that regular service can be initiated within a short time.
Would Set Precedent.
Somewhat belatedly, there is at least the beginning of a realization among Chinese journalists and officials that the National Government's
persistent refusal to grant Pan American Airways a landing privilege in China may not be wholly unimportant. The reason for the refusal has
been that the Chinese Government feels the granting of a China base to Pan American would establish a precedent. Japan, it is feared, would
promptly take advantage of such a precedent to insist upon opening air lines into China at many points, notably Tientsin-Peiping, Shanghai
and probably one or more South China ports (flying over from Formosa). That has seemed the important thing to the Chinese, so they have given Pan American nothing but the "cold shoulder" in the matter of granting an Asiatic mainland base. But Pan American has not been
idle, and the report that arrangements have been made for a base at Macao—the Portuguese, port near Canton—has given the Chinese
pause for thought. At the same time, it has seemed certain that Japan, pressing for compliance with a secret term in the Tangku Protocol,
would insist on some sort of aerial link-up with North China before long, precedent or no precedent. The Chinese-edited English-language China Critic, weekly, says that Canton refused the American request for a terminal landing field on the ground'that "similar requests made by-rinterests of a certain other country had been rejected," and goes on:
Material Benefits.
"While this may be a plausible excuse for the refusal, it does not explain why we should refuse this epoch-making enterprise. And we have no reason to. do so. There are about 45,000 Chinese in the United States and 28,000 in Hawaii. Most of these people hail from the Province of Kwangtung. Their happiness and the happiness of tens of thousands of their kinsmen will be greatly improved if the projected air line can go through, and, so to speak, land in their front yard. "Aside from that, the material benefits that the city of Canton may receive from being the terminus of (Continued on Page 4, Column 3) tne projected air line are enormous —to say nothing of the immense impetus and encouragement such an arrangement may give to domestic aviation. "Owing to the refusal of the Kwangtung authorities, it is reported
in the news dispatches that the American company has made arrangements to have the western terminus at Macao. Thus all the benefits that may accrue to Canton are to be lost by the official refusal. If it is not already too late, the Government should take the matter up with the company to locate the landing field in some other part of China." Meanwhile the increased independence of Sinkiang, western province over which the Eurasia Aviation Corporation wishes to fly in linking China with Europe by air, indicates that there can be no early resumption
of Shanghai-Berlin service unless China is to accept the principle of Soviet airplane operation across Sinkiang.
Shanghai to Hong Kong.
With the idea of making the Crown Colony of Hong Kong its terminus. Imperial Airways is understood to be preparing for test flights up from the present terminus at Singapore. Here again the Chinese have been obdurate in refusing to allow landings on Chinese territory—a position which has caused Hong Kong to refuse to allow the China National Aviation Corporation to land its planes at Hong Kong —but the British evidently feel they can proceed over water to Hong Kong without infringing on Chinese sovereignty. This would link Hong Kong with London by air, but passengers reaching Hong Kong and wishing to fly on to Shanghai, Peiping, Hankow or other China points would be compelled to proceed to Canton or Swatow to catch a China National Aviation Corporation plane.

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China's Air Link With France Adds to Concern of Japanese.
By a Staff Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor.
SHANGHAI—Much to the annoyance of Japanese authorities who had expected priority treatment with reference to Japan-China aerial communication, the National Government's Ministry of Communications has signed an agreement with the French Air Ministry which is to extend the present China National Aviation Corporation's Shanghai-Canton line from Canton to the French Indo-China border where it will link up with French airplanes for Hanoi and Europe. The question, of air communication between China and France is known to have been under discussion for six or seven years, with no results. Suddenly this agreement, involving collaboration with Air France, burst with the suddenness of the recent Chinese nationalization of silver—to be received in Tokyo with an equal lack of cordiality.
Air Policy Maintained.
It is to be noted that the agreement does not break the Chinese rule of refusing to allow airplanes of any foreign nation to fly into Chinese territory. In the present instance, Chinese planes (American made) will fly to the border and there transfer passengers and mail to French planes. Test flights from Canton southward are being started, and it is expected that regular service can be initiated within a short time.
Would Set Precedent.
Somewhat belatedly, there is at least the beginning of a realization among Chinese journalists and officials that the National Government's
persistent refusal to grant Pan American Airways a landing privilege in China may not be wholly unimportant. The reason for the refusal has
been that the Chinese Government feels the granting of a China base to Pan American would establish a precedent. Japan, it is feared, would
promptly take advantage of such a precedent to insist upon opening air lines into China at many points, notably Tientsin-Peiping, Shanghai
and probably one or more South China ports (flying over from Formosa). That has seemed the important thing to the Chinese, so they have given Pan American nothing but the "cold shoulder" in the matter of granting an Asiatic mainland base. But Pan American has not been
idle, and the report that arrangements have been made for a base at Macao—the Portuguese, port near Canton—has given the Chinese
pause for thought. At the same time, it has seemed certain that Japan, pressing for compliance with a secret term in the Tangku Protocol,
would insist on some sort of aerial link-up with North China before long, precedent or no precedent. The Chinese-edited English-language China Critic, weekly, says that Canton refused the American request for a terminal landing field on the ground'that "similar requests made by-rinterests of a certain other country had been rejected," and goes on:
Material Benefits.
"While this may be a plausible excuse for the refusal, it does not explain why we should refuse this epoch-making enterprise. And we have no reason to. do so. There are about 45,000 Chinese in the United States and 28,000 in Hawaii. Most of these people hail from the Province of Kwangtung. Their happiness and the happiness of tens of thousands of their kinsmen will be greatly improved if the projected air line can go through, and, so to speak, land in their front yard. "Aside from that, the material benefits that the city of Canton may receive from being the terminus of (Continued on Page 4, Column 3) tne projected air line are enormous —to say nothing of the immense impetus and encouragement such an arrangement may give to domestic aviation. "Owing to the refusal of the Kwangtung authorities, it is reported
in the news dispatches that the American company has made arrangements to have the western terminus at Macao. Thus all the benefits that may accrue to Canton are to be lost by the official refusal. If it is not already too late, the Government should take the matter up with the company to locate the landing field in some other part of China." Meanwhile the increased independence of Sinkiang, western province over which the Eurasia Aviation Corporation wishes to fly in linking China with Europe by air, indicates that there can be no early resumption
of Shanghai-Berlin service unless China is to accept the principle of Soviet airplane operation across Sinkiang.
Shanghai to Hong Kong.
With the idea of making the Crown Colony of Hong Kong its terminus. Imperial Airways is understood to be preparing for test flights up from the present terminus at Singapore. Here again the Chinese have been obdurate in refusing to allow landings on Chinese territory—a position which has caused Hong Kong to refuse to allow the China National Aviation Corporation to land its planes at Hong Kong —but the British evidently feel they can proceed over water to Hong Kong without infringing on Chinese sovereignty. This would link Hong Kong with London by air, but passengers reaching Hong Kong and wishing to fly on to Shanghai, Peiping, Hankow or other China points would be compelled to proceed to Canton or Swatow to catch a China National Aviation Corporation plane.